Electrical terminal plug



y 7, 1954 A. R. BERMAN ELECTRICAL TERMINAL PLUG Filed May 21 1951 Ill I.Q a v INVENTOR. o/v A. EERMA/V Patented July 27, 1954 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention deals with an electrical terminal plug and moreparticularly to an electical connecting plug for electrically connectingelectrical appliances, etc., to a source of electrical energy.

Electrical connectors of the type embodying resilient housing forelectrical conductor terminals and having at least a pair of spacedconductive blade members secured to the housing have been used formaking connections with electrical appliances or with a source ofelectrica1 energy. The blade members are usually positioned parallel ofeach other and are each partly inserted into the housing with theinserted portion making contact with the conductors and with free endsextending from the housing for engaging a cooperating receptacle. Forsecuring a blade member to the housing, the housing is provided with areceptive cavity therefor and into which the blade member is inserted,the blade member being thereafter resistant to withdrawal from thecavity by means of barbs or projections on the blade member which gripthe walls of the cavity.

In some cases withdrawal resisting projections extend from the broadsides of the blades at substantially right angles, which isdisadvantageous in that the inserting of the blades is difficultespecially when the housing, although resilient, is composed of amaterial not deformable sufliciently to allow entry of a projectionbearing blade into the cavity without gouging the walls of the cavity,or which prohibits inserting of the blade to the full extent of thecavity.

In other cases the blades are provided with barbs, e. g. saw-toothbarbs, on the narrow longitudinal edges of the blades with the points ofthe barbs facing the opening of the cavity when inserted therein andwhich eliminate the difficulty of insertion into the cavity. However,upon repeated withdrawal action, the blades are subject to looseningespecially when lateral forces are applied against the blades causingthe barbs to dislodge from their original grip and to re-grip the cavitywalls. Such re-gripping subjects the Walls of the cavity to gougingthereby either weakening the cavity walls or forcing the blades out ofalignment with each other. Any subsequent forcing of the blades torealign them only further gouges the cavity walls or further loosens theblades.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedelectrical terminal plug. It is another object of the present inventionto provide an improved electrical terminal plug having blade memberssecured to a resilient housing and being resistant to withdrawaltherefrom. It is a further object of the present invention to provide anelectrical terminal plug having blade members secured to a resilienthousing for electrical conductor terminals and a plurality of blademembers secured to said housing and the blade members being capable ofmaintaining alignment with each other. Other objects of the presentinvention will become apparent from the description hereinafterfollowing and the drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of an embodiment of the presentinvention,

Figure 2 is a right angle fragmentary view of the embodiment of Figure1,

Figure 3 illustrates a front View of a blade member according to thepresent invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a side View of the blade member, and

Figure 5 illustrates a sectional view of the assembled terminal plug.

The present invention comprises a resilient body or conductor terminalhousing, e. g. a rubber housing, having secured thereto a blade memberor a pair of blade members which are resistant to withdrawal from thehousing, which maintain alignment with each other, and which are adaptedto prevent loosening of the blade members to provide an improvedelectrical terminal plug.

Figure 1 illustrates a resilient housing I having a bore 2 providedtherethrough and a cavity 3, e. g. a rectangular cavity, formed into oneend of the housing substantially paralle1 with said bore and separatedor spaced therefrom along a portion of the length thereof by means of apartition '4. The housing I is preferably provided with a pair of suchcavities 3 and 5 parallel with each other and independent of said boreand in alignment with each other. A side wall of each cavity islaterally recessed in a direction outwardly of the bore 2 to provide anabutment means or anchor seats 6 and l the functions of which arehereinafter more particularly described.

Figure 2 illustrates an enlarged fragmentary portion of the housing I atright angles to that of Figure 1 to show the embodiment consisting of apair of oppositely positioned resilient abutments 3m and 3b on oppositewalls of the cavity 3, said walls being the edge walls of the cavity.Similar or identical abutments are provided on the edge walls of thecavity 5.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate front and side views of an elongated blademember 8 having a tongue or anchor 9 projecting outwardly and lengthwiseof a broad side In of the blade member at an acute angle or an angle ofless than 90 degrees with said side. The anchor 9 is preferably formedby protruding a portion of the blade, and said anchor being preferablyspaced from an end I I of the blade 8 at a distance less than one-halfthe length of the blade with an abutting end [2 of the anchor 9 directedsubstantially toward the other or opposite end 13 of the blade 8.Between the anchor 9 and an end of the blade is a pair of cooperatingbarbs l4 and 15, e. g. wedge-shaped barbs, which are spaced laterally ofeach other and which project outwardly of a broad side of the bladesubstantially parallel with the anchor 9. The barbs and anchor arepreferably located on the same side It) with the barbs between the saidanchor and an end II which is nearest the anchor. The said barbs areadvantageously formed by angularly slitting through the op positelongitudinal edges of the blade with the slits l6 and I1 convergingtoward each other. The wedge-shaped barbs thus formed are bent outwardlyas above described. By so forming the barbs their points are providedadvantageously with maximum lateral distance between each other.

Figure illustrates the assembled electrical terminal plug whichcomprises the combination of the housing I of Figure 1 and the blade 8of Figures 3 and 4.

The terminal plug is preferably provided with a plurality of blades, e.g. blades 8 and 8, which are secured to the housing parallel of eachother.

In assembling the terminal plug, an insulated conductor 18 is strippedof its insulation to expose the electrically conductive wires IS and fora substantial distance from the ends of the wires and the conductor [8is inserted into the bore 2 with wires [9 and 20 being located in thevicinity of the cavities 3 and 5. The end ll of the blade 8 is caused tostraddle the wire is and wire and blade are inserted into the cavity 3.Upon insertion, the resilient walls of the cavity 3 are caused to deformslightly allowing the end ll of the blade 8 to be inserted to the fullextent of the cavity, the anchor 9 to engage the anchor seat 6 on abroad or side wall of the cavity, and the barbs i4 and [5 to contact andpass beyond the abutments 3a and 3b on the narrow or edge walls of thecavity whereupon the resilient abutments contact the upper portions ofthe barbs and substantially fill in the space between the barbs and therest of the blade.

In order to insert the blade so that the barbs i4 and i5 pass beyond theabutments 3a and 3b, the end H of the blade is caused to deform thebottom of the cavity with applied pressure, e. g. by a blade insertingmechanism, and then, depending upon the resiliency of the plug material,the blade member may be pulled back after release of pressure or allowedto settle back due to the inherent resiliency of the plug material tolodge the blade in its locked position whereby the upper portions of thebarbs will abut against the abutments 3a and 3b and the anchor willsimultaneously abut the anchor seat.

Upon attempted withdrawal of the blade 8 from the cavity 3, the pointsof the barbs I4 and I5 grip the side wall of the cavity, the upperportions of the barbs abut against the abutments, 3a and 3b, andsimultaneously the abutting end E2 of the anchor 9 abuts against thewall of the recess or anchor seat 6 not only preventing withdrawal ofthe blade but also prohibiting the barbs 4 i from losing their originalgrip thereby preventing tearing or gouging of the cavity wall. Since thebarbs retain their original grip, the end H of the blade 8 is heldagainst the bottom of the cavity thereby securing the wire [9 firmly inthe cavity to insure against disengagement of the wire ts from the blade8. The barbs I4 and i5 are advantageously laterally spaced of each otheron the same side of the blade 8 so that lateral forces moving the edgesof the blade will not disengage one barb from its grip while the otherbarb is forced into the cavity wall as is the common defect with barbslocated on the longitudinal narrow edges of the blades. Moreover,

lateral forces moving the sides of the blade will not loosen the bladessince the broad sides of the blades will prevent gouging and theirbluntness or area provides an abuttal sufficient to prevent the barbsfrom losing their grip.

When a pair of blades 8 and 8 are secured to the respective aligned andparallel cavities, the blades become fixed in parallel alignment witheach other and maintain such position becaus of the combined restrainingaction of the said anchor against the anchor seat and the said pair ofbarbs.

Modifications of the invention hereinbefore set forth, e. g.modifications relating to the location of the barbs or anchors on theblades, are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A plug comprising in combination a resilient body having arectangular cavity formed therein and defined by a pair of substantiallywide side walls and a pair of substantially narrow edge walls, one ofsaid side walls having a recess formed therein, the recess beingpositioned outwardly of said cavity, an abutment on each of said edgewalls below said recess, said abutments being positioned oppositely ofeach other, an elongated blade member provided with an anchor projectingoutwardly and lengthwise of a side thereof at an acute angle with saidside, said anchor being spaced from an end of said blade at a distanceless than one-half the length of said blade, a pair of barbs on one sideof said blade member spaced laterally of each other the full width ofsaid side and substantially parallel with said anchor, a notch on theend walls of said blade above each barb, said blade member beinginsertable into said cavity, said anchor and barbs facing the opening ofsaid cavity, said anchor being engageablewith a wall of said recess,said barbs being positioned to grip a wall of said cavity between saidabutments and the bottom of the cavity and said abutments interlockingwith said notches.

2. An electrical terminal plug comprising in combination a resilientbody having a bore formed therethrough and a plurality of rectangularcavities spaced from said bore and defined by a pair of substantiallywide side walls and a pair of substantially narrow edge walls, each ofsaid cavities having a recessed side wall, an abutment on each or" saidedge walls below said recess, the recess being positioned outwardly ofsaid cavity, a plurality of elongated blade members each provided withan anchor projecting outwardly and lengthwise of a side thereof at anacute angle with said side, said anchor being spaced from an end of saidblade at a distance less than one--- half the length of said blade, apair of barbs on one side of each of said blade members and spacedlaterally of each other the full width of said side and substantiallyparallel with said anchor, a notch on the end walls of each of saidblades above each barb, said blade members being insertable into saidcavities, each of said anchors being engageable with a wall of each ofsaid recesses in blade withdrawal resistant relationship, said barbsbeing positioned to grip the walls of said cavities between saidabutments and the bottoms of the cavities, said anchor and barbs facingthe openings of said cavitie and said abutm-ents interlocking with saidnotches.

3. An electrical terminal plug according to claim 2, wherein saidcavities are parallel with each other and aligned with each other andsaid blade members inserted therein being parallel and aligned with eachother.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,136,498 Geyer Nov. 15, 1938 2,181,575 Chirelstein Nov. 28,1939 2,260,365 Charmoy Oct. 28, 1941' 2,301,919 Petry Nov. 17, 19422,551,934 Flood May 8, 1951

